Gamers will have to prove their age under EU Kids Act | Euractiv

Online games sites, AI chatbots and companions as well as social media platforms will soon have to carry out age verification when a user opens a new account, according to documents obtained by Euractiv. 

Internal documents accompanying the forthcoming EU Kids Act stipulate that tech companies will have to pay the Commission for enforcement costs of the new legislation.

“The EU Kids Act will oblige providers of social media services and video-sharing platforms to perform age verification when a user opens a new account,” said the document, adding that services can rely on the EU age verification tool or other solution prepared by public authorities to conduct age checks.

The Commission’s widely expected proposal to curb youngsters’ access to social media platforms will also extend to other services according to the draft. The restrictions would also apply to so-called social media “plus” services including social media platforms, video-sharing platforms, online games that are risky to minors and AI chatbots and companions. The new rules would not apply to online services operated for education, public authorities or industrial AI or AI office products.

Minimum age thresholds 

As first reported by Euractiv in July, the Commission was expected to create age restrictions to social media platforms during Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s state of the union speech this week.

According to the document, the Kids Act will propose an EU-wide “minimum age” for minors to open an autonomous account at the age of 15, providing tiered restrictions for children below 18 to access social media “plus” services.

Children between 0 and 3 will have no access to social media or risky services and for children aged 3 and under 13, parents can open “fully parent-controlled” accounts on child-friendly services that would meet safety standards set by the proposal.

Further on, children between 13 and 15 would have parents set up an “introductory” account for social media and video-sharing platforms. Children as of 15 and below 18 would have autonomous accounts if the online environment is “safe by design”.

The proposal also drafts the criteria for social media services considered to be “safe by design”, including no addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, regulating recommender content and safe account settings.

Services designated under the new rules would also have a so-called “supervisory fee” – a levy to fund and support the Commission’s enforcement under the Kids Act, according to the draft.

(bw)